of his great hut, which was close to him, and vanished.

Umbelazi and I departed also through the gateway of the fence, leaving
Saduko and the Princess Nandie alone together, for there were no
attendants present. What happened between them I am sure I do not
know, but I gather that, in one way or another, Saduko made himself
sufficiently agreeable to the princess to persuade her to take him to
husband. Perhaps, being already enamoured of him, she was not difficult
to persuade. At any rate, on the morrow, without any great feasting or
fuss, except the customary dance, the umqoliso, the "Ox of the Girl,"
was slaughtered, and Saduko became the husband of a royal maiden of the
House of Senzangakona.

Certainly, as I remember reflecting, it was a remarkable rise in life
for one who, but a few months before, had been without possessions or a
home.

I may add that, after our brief talk in the King's kraal, while Panda
was dozing, I had no further words with Saduko on this matter of his
marriage, for between its proposal and the event he avoided me, nor did
I seek him out. On the day of the marriage also, I trekked for Natal,
and for a whole year heard no more of Saduko, Nandie, and Mameena;
although, to be frank, I must admit I thought of the last of these
persons more often, perhaps, than I should have done.

The truth is that Mameena was one of those women who sticks in a man's
mind even more closely than a "Wait-a-bit" thorn does in his coat.

CHAPTER IX. ALLAN RETURNS TO ZULULAND

A whole year had gone by, in which I did, or tried to do, various things
that have no connection with this story, when once more I found
myself in Zululand--at Umbezi's kraal indeed. Hither I had trekked in
fulfilment of a certain bargain, already alluded to, that was concerned
with ivory and guns, which I had made with the old fellow, or, rather,
with Masapo, his son-in-law, whom he represented in this matter. Into
the exact circumstances of that bargain I do not enter, since at the
moment I cannot recall whether I ever obtained the necessary permit
to import those guns into Zululand, although now that I am older I
earnestly hope that I did so, since it is wrong to sell weapons to
natives that may be put to all sorts of unforeseen uses.

At any rate, there I was, sitting alone with the Headman in his hut
discussing a dram of "squareface" that I had given to him, for the
"trade" was finished to our mutual satisfaction, and Scowl, m